REPUBLIC Bank (Guyana) Limited yesterday launched its eighth annual ‘Youth Link Apprenticeship Programme’ preparing thirty-one just-out-of-school youths for the world of work.

The formal launching ceremony took place at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown.Republic’s Managing Director, Mr Richard Sammy, said the programme was specifically formulated to aid the development of youths, and to facilitate their successful transition from school to the work environment.
Since launch of the inaugural programme in October 2008, one hundred and eighty-eight students from across Guyana have benefited.

The programme is a registered participant with the Council for Technical and Vocational Education (CTVET), offers and delivers competency-based education (CBE) certification, and offers a unique experience that contributes towards building successful societies.

The strategy used to train the apprentices is the modern, internationally recognised competency-based modularised training, and trainees will be assessed in classroom sessions and on-the-job performance by Republic Bank trainers and assessors who have been trained and certified by CTVET.

They will, for seven months, be afforded the necessary tools and coaching through practical and theoretical aspects of banking. Sammy said they will also be taught “basic marketable skills required to improve their career options, and will be provided a preview of what obtains in the world of work”.

He said they will each be qualified as a Certified Bank Clerk with a National Vocational Qualification Certificate issued by CTVET, which can be used when seeking employment for specific entry level jobs, and offers a distinct advantage in their employment pursuits.

He told apprentices they must be actively involved and be committed to the programme in order to be successful. The programme includes community care as they participate in the “Youth Link Care-A-Van” designed to foster social awareness, empathy, respect, and care for the less fortunate. They will also participate in field trips in which they can enjoy fun-filled and relaxing retreat at a special location, providing opportunity for research building and teamwork, and opportunity to learn about country.

Celine Davis, who manages the bank’s Water Street branch, said youths are special to Republic Bank, and the launch demonstrates the Bank’s commitment to empowering them “to become visionaries and to reach beyond the ordinary and the obvious in their quest for success”.

In delivering the opening remarks at the programme’s launch, Davis said the programme aims at declaring the overall vision for Guyana’s youths, and has, for years, made youths its main focus for support and development through decades of social outreach programmes.

“We are particularly pleased that we have, yet again, been able to bring together a group of participants from across all of the local communities in which our Bank operates,” she stated.

The programme ends in May 2016.

By Shauna Jemmott